His Kryptonite
by Beccabo
Summary: She has always been his greatest weakness. For my Ex-Factor fans, here are a series of random vignettes that give us a peek into the life and love of Steve and Harper McGarrett. Set between Ch 34 and the Epilogue. Steve/OFC
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note - Hello Ex-Factor fans and new readers! I know that it has been awhile but this story idea came into my head recently and I just had to get it out! For any new readers out there, this is a follow up to my fic The Ex-Factor. The main character in this little number (Steve's wife Harper) was introduced in that story. If you want to go back and read it, settle in because it's a long one! This fic, on the other hand, is just a one shot about the difficulties of mixing career and marriage.**_

_**The idea came to me while watching the latest episode of Graceland on TNT. In fact, I borrowed some dialog from the show and am giving credit to the writer's here and now. I hope you enjoy this peek into Harper and Steve's life at Five-O...**_

* * *

_**His Kryptonite by Beccabo**_

"_You are my kryptonite, you take my powers away. And if I spend the night, you'll probably drive me insane."_ ~ Jazmine Sullivan

"That was my shot!"

Commander Steve McGarrett knew the heated comment was directed at him but he decided to ignore it…for the moment. Shoving their suspect, Bret Oleole, toward one of the uniformed officers standing nearby, he barked, "Take him down to interrogation." After watching the scumbag walk away, the leader of Five-0 turned his attention toward his wife and asked, "Do you have a problem, Detective?"

"You took my shot," Harper James McGarrett repeated in an icy voice which was in total contrast to the anger radiating from her. "I had him in my sights and then you made your move without..."

"My move," he repeated forcefully, "saved that child's life. The hostage taker was taken out, we have his accomplice in custody, the hostage was not hurt…mission accomplished." Narrowing his eyes at her, he drawled, "Now let's check your ego at the door so we can get in there and interrogate this son of a bit-"

He knew the moment the words were out of his mouth he would live to regret them.

"This is not about my ego!"

"Really?" he shot back.

"Really."

Steve was so not in the mood for this. Running his hands through his hair, he asked angrily, "So…what? Are you going to make me guess? What is this about?"

"You didn't trust me to take that shot," the redhead replied, reaching around to begin taking off her Kevlar vest.

"That's ridiculous."

"You didn't even…"

"If you had taken that shot," Steve interrupted, his anger growing by the second, "you would have alerted his men as to your location and they would have taken you out. I was protecting you."

"I didn't need for you to protect me!" Harper replied furiously, frustrated by her inability to remove her vest and yell at her husband at the same time. Ripping at the Velcro, she glared up at him and hissed, "I needed you to trust me! For once in your God damned life Steven, you should have trusted me!"

Finally free of the vest, she flung it at him and darted off down the hall. In her anger and haste, she practically knocked over Detective Chin Ho Kelly as he was stepping off the elevator.

Looking confused, Chin asked, "What's up with Harper?"

"She's pissed at me," Steve growled, taking his wife's discarded vest and handing it to the equipment clerk who was waiting nearby and pretending he hadn't heard anything. "I guess you and I are handling the interrogation."

"What'd you do?" Detective Kelly asked, falling into step with his boss as he tried his best to suppress a grin.

"As usual," the Commander replied sharply, "I have no idea."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO XOXOXOXOX**

The interview of Bret Oleole was not going well. The creep was far too cocky and arrogant for someone who was about to spend the rest of his life behind bars. Steve and Chin knew it. Kono and Danny, watching on monitors outside the interview room, knew it. The only member of the team who didn't know it was Harper.

Which would explain why she chose the most inopportune moment to walk in with the ballistics report.

Without looking at her husband, Harper handed the report to Chin and whispered the pertinent information in his ear. Detective Kelly's face didn't give it away, but he could tell that she had uncovered something important. She usually did. She was one hell of a cop.

Which made everything else about her so damn infuriating.

"Who was that?" Oleole asked, staring at the door where Harper had exited like a dog in heat.

"We're asking the questions here," Steve reminded him as Chin walked over with the ballistics report and pointed out Harper's findings.

_Damn her_, he thought as he shook his head at the evidence. She really was the best around.

"Is she a cop?" Oleole asked again, completely unaware of what was about to happen to him. "No way she's a cop, man. Cops don't look like that…except in Hollywood. And this ain't Hollywood."

"Focus now, Bret," the former SEAL warned, beginning to pace in a circle around the suspects' chair, "because you are going to want to think very hard about your answer to our next question. It could be the difference between life and death…"

But Bret Oleole was too arrogant to realize that he was in trouble and he continued, "Damn, she's a cop. I mean, please tell me one of you guys has gotten a piece of that, because man, what I wouldn't give for five minutes alone…"

"Shut up!"

"Hawaii's a great place for beautiful women and all, but your girl there is a redhead, you know? Redheads are so much fun. They're so fiery. Do you know if she's single? I bet she could just—"

Oleole never got to finish the sentence. As he made his circle around the room, Steve had stopped directly behind Oleole and in one swift movement kicked the criminal's chair out from under him. Without ever knowing what hit him, Bret Oleole suddenly found himself on his back with Commander Steve McGarrett's boot at his throat. When McGarrett finally spoke, his voice was little more than a low growl.

"I suggest you stick with answering the questions we're asking you. Now, tell us about the guns we found in your car…"

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO XOXOXOXOX**

"What the hell was that?"

Steve was really sick of people hurling accusatory questions at him like he was supposed to know what they were talking about. Turning abruptly to face his partner, he pasted a dumbfounded look on his face and asked, "What the hell was what?"

"We have seen men react to seeing your wife before," Detective Danny Williams informed him as he ran to keep up with the pace of Steve's long strides. "We have been dealing with it since she came to Hawaii. This is not a new thing…"

"I assume you have a point?"

"I was just wondering why we picked today to start stepping on people's necks?"

The Commander knew he has crossed the line and didn't care, so he answered nonchalantly, "I didn't like his attitude."

"He helped kidnap a child and held her at gunpoint!" His partner reminded him, "We went in there knowing we weren't going to like anything about him…especially his attitude."

"What do you want from me?"

"Look, I don't know what the problem is between the two of you," Danny began, pulling on his partner's arm and forcing him to come to a complete stop, "but it's gotta stop. The two of you promised the Governor that none of this crap would happen at work. So you've got until the close of business today to shut up, make up, or file for divorce. Again."

The detective watched in silence as a dark shadow crossed Steve's face, his normal calm and control melting into thinly restrained fury. His voice was quiet when he spoke but Danny could see the tension building in his neck and shoulders.

"Or what?"

"Or Chin, Kono, and I will lock the two of you in a room and set it on fire."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO XOXOXOXOX**

_Two hours later…_

Steve didn't even glance up from his paperwork when his partner cautiously stepped into his office. Instead he simply asked, "Are you here to set my office on fire?"

Ignoring the sarcasm, the New Jersey detective settled himself into one of the chairs across from Steve's desk and replied, "I notice you haven't worked things out with your wife."

"What I do or don't do with my wife is none of your business," was the tight reply.

"Normally, that is true," Danny agreed, taking a deep breath, "but…"

"But?"

"But this is not about the usually happily married Mr. and Mrs. McGarrett," the detective told him pointedly, "_**This**_ is about Commander McGarrett and Detective Harper James McGarrett." When his partner didn't answer, Danny continued, "We knew the lines were going to get blurry every once in awhile and for the most part you two have managed to keep it professional at the office. But today…"

"Today was just a bad day," Steve interrupted, finally looking up from his file. "When it involves kids, Jimmy gets overly emotional. She just needs some time to settle down."

"Yes," Danny agreed, "all of that is true. But that is not what happened today."

"Well enlighten me, Danno." McGarrett replied, instantly sensing that he was not going to like the answer to his next question but asked it anyway. "What, in your opinion, happened today?"

"Ever heard of quarterback syndrome?"

"Can't say that I have," Steve replied, leaning back in his chair and preparing himself for whatever was to come.

Meeting his boss' dark gaze, Danny informed him, "You don't think any of us can win unless you are leading the charge. And your wife is the only one of us with enough balls to say it out loud."

Instead of reacting instinctively, McGarrett took a moment to let his partner's words sink in. Finally, he shrugged and answered, "Tom Brady has quarterback syndrome. He also has 3 championship rings."

"Yeah, Eli's got 2 and he's four years younger," the detective from New Jersey shot back with a shake of his head, "You Patriots fans make me sick."

Steve bit back a grin and then asked, "You were making a point?"

"That was Harper's shot," Danny replied matter of factly, "It made the most sense for her to take it so that we could move in and get the girl if anything went wrong. You know that."

He did know that. But hearing it out loud didn't help soothe his ego any. Instead of answering his smug partner, Steve reached over to the fridge behind his desk, pulled out a couple of Kona Lagers, and tossed one across his desk. Danny grinned as the pair settled into silence so they could drink their beer.

Steve McGarrett knew he was in trouble the moment he'd first laid eyes on Harper James. And trouble had definitely followed. But ever since they had remarried on the shores of Oahu the previous spring, she had become all that he could believe in. He believed in the scent of her hair, the taste of her skin, the fire in her eyes. After a life of service and solitude, his wife grounded him. All she had to do was lay beside him, her fingers laced with his. She didn't have to ask what was wrong. She never wanted or needed to know.

After he allowed the last taste of his ale to settle in, he looked at his partner and admitted, "From the minute I met her, that woman has been my kryptonite."

Danny swallowed his last swig of beer and answered, "The best ones usually are." Swinging his legs down from where they had rested on his partner's desk and standing up, he checked his watch as he reminded, "You have 5 minutes before I set your office on fire."

"Too late," Steve admitted with a sigh, glancing out the window just in time to see his wife's car peeling out of the parking lot.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO XOXOXOXOX**

_An hour later…_

Harper wandered out of the bathroom of the McGarrett home clad only in a fluffy towel. Her face was flushed from the heat of her bath, her hair was stuck to the back of her neck...and Steve went weak in the knees.

Still. After all this time.

Their eyes connected across the room and she immediately closed the distance between them with only a few steps. He dropped his head down to rest against hers, his eyes glazed and vacant as an unwinnable battle raged in his mind. Her eyes fell shut and her free hand drifted up to rest at the back of his neck, fingers grazing lightly up and down as she waited out the storm. Steve's hands moved from resting at her waist to wrapping his arms completely around her and drawing her close. She could see the strain of the muscles in his arms as they tightened the embrace. Harper turned her head slightly, bringing her mouth next to his ear. As she whispered words of apology and comfort, Harper gradually felt the anger seep out of him as the storm of raw emotion calmed to a shower of resigned regret.

An hour later the couple laid in bed in silence and nothing else needed to be said. His hands were flat on her back, her red hair tickled Steve's nose, and her shallow breath was warm on his neck. He ran his fingers through her hair as Harper's eyes closed and she leaned into his touch. He pressed a kiss behind her ear and another just below it, his teeth gently scraping her earlobe. He gently turned her face up to his and saw that her eyes were wet with tears. The last thing he wanted was for her to cry. Steve tenderly took hold of her face and began to kiss them away.

"I have always trusted you," he whispered between kisses, which caused a fresh batch of tears to begin flowing down her flushed cheeks. He held her close, as possessed by her as she by him and they basked in the light between them, the sheets discarded on the floor. Harper's head dropped to rest against his muscular chest, her fingers playing across his taut stomach.

It was in moments like this that Steve definitely felt like Superman. And Harper James McGarrett was the only kryptonite he would ever need.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note**__**: Thank you so much for all of the PM's asking me to continue this fic! I hadn't planned on it – it was originally written as a one shot. But since I have read so many msg's asking me to continue, it got the plot juices flowing! I have a few ideas for some more chapters, but if you have any ideas you would like to see me add feel free to let me know. Leave them in the review section or PM me. Since there is no real rhyme or reason to this fic, I can add different ideas at random.**_

_**Character Note**__** - Because I wrote The Ex-Factor before the events of last season, the characters in this fic are different than in canon. Malia and Jack McGarrett are alive (I knew one of Steve's parents had to be alive – I just picked the wrong one!). Also, parts of this chapter were influenced by the Grey's Anatomy episode where Dr. Miranda Bailey gave birth.**_

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_Downtown Honolulu..._

"Why don't you…"

But the words spoken by Detective Danny Williams were never heard by his partner, Commander Steve McGarrett.

"…just jump out of the car and leave me sitting here?" Danny finished in disgust, throwing the silver Chevy Camaro into park and jumping out the driver's side door. Removing his gun from its holster at his side, the New Jersey detective ran after his partner.

Steve kept running through the streets and down the alley in a full out sprint, gracefully avoiding the garbage cans and pedestrians in his path. By now he could hear his own heartbeat pound in his ears and his lungs burned with the intense effort. Without missing a step, he glanced quickly to his left, where he saw his partner run up beside him.

"Do you really think we should be doing this today?" Danny hissed between deep breaths, taking his place at Steve's side.

But the former SEAL simply waved him off as he nodded at Chin and Kono, who were coming down a connecting alleyway. Gravel and trash crunched and crackled underfoot as the team spread out. It was dark and damp despite the fact that it was a routinely sunny afternoon in Honolulu. Tall buildings left this reeking slice of city cast in perpetual shadow. Black soot and slime coated the sides of the brick buildings as they edged in closer, wearily eyeing the dumpsters and fire escapes for the perp they had chased into this dead-end.

Steve took lead as always, Danny to his right, gun at the ready. Chin hugged the wall to the left, covering them both, with Kono bringing up the rear. The grinding metal of a moving fire escape alerted them to a presence. Chin swung towards it while McGarrett continued to scan the alley. Something was off about the shadows in the back of the alley, how they moved. Shadows shouldn't move.

"Boss," Kono's voice warned from behind as a man emerged from the shadows.

Steve acknowledged with a slight nod of his head, eyes fixed on the new target. His boots scuffed forward as his gun aimed at a thin, scruffy looking man who had a handgun dangling casually from his left hand.

"Five-O!" Steve shouted, identifying himself, "Put the gun down. You are under arrest for the murder of Patricia Lewis."

"I don't think so," the murderer leered, taking another step forward with a smirk.

The team followed his gaze and saw another man kneeling on the landing, aiming his weapon at them. When Steve looked back, two more figures stepped out from the shadows and fanned out behind Garrett Everson, local drug dealer. Everson, from all appearances, killed his ex-girlfriend with the very gun that was currently pointed at Steve's chest.

"We really shouldn't be doing this today," Danny repeated, raising his gun and picking a target.

"You don't want to do this, Garrett," Steve said, steel in his voice, barely sparing a glance at the two young men. They were just boys with automatic weapons held in shaky hands pointed towards his team. They looked terrified, and the one on the left could hardly be over 13…he didn't look as if he'd hit puberty yet, with his shaggy black hair hanging over his wide eyes. Newly initiated gang members…untried, nervous, and eager to prove themselves made them jumpy and trigger happy.

"Oh, I think I do," Everson taunted, taking another step forward in challenge.

"Lower your weapons!" The Commander barked, refusing to step down, refusing to acknowledge the extra guns pointing at him. Backup was on its way, and if they could hold status quo for just a moment longer…

A child cried somewhere in the distance.

The older boy twitched, his gun discharging with a deafening sound, echoing in the confined space. Shock filled his eyes, mouth dropping into an "O".

McGarrett reacted on instinct, his gun discharging and landing a bullet in Everson's shoulder, before turning on the boy who had fired and clipping him in the arm. The crack of a weapon from behind him and the clatter on the fire escape told Steve that the man there was also out of commission. The second young boy wasted no time running off down the alley, with Kono hot on his heels.

It was only then that the former SEAL acknowledged the white hot pain ripping through his left side. Placing his large hand on his lower torso, he saw the blood seeping through his fingers. His legs gave out and he stumbled backwards into the nearby wall. His ears rang as it became harder to breathe and he slid gracelessly down the wall, his hand falling limply to his side.

"Officer down!"

Danny was instantly at his side and checking for a pulse. Feeling one, he whispered, "Steve! Steve, stay with me man. Not today. This is not going to happen today. Stay with us. Bus is on its way."

Fighting to suck in a breath, the leader of Five-O pried his eyes open. Breathing was getting harder and he didn't know if he could take another, pain washing over him in waves, but he had to say, "Jimmy… tell Jimmy…

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXO**

_Honolulu Medical Center…_

In her thirty four years of life, Harper James McGarrett had never been more frightened. She'd always played herself off as a bad ass cop, the chick from Chicago who knew what she was doing. She had no flaws, no downfalls...well maybe one or two. But fear wasn't one of them. She had stared down the barrel of a loaded gun, jumped off a cliff, been held at knife point, faced off with Wo Fat, and survived a bomb scare or two. But none of it scared her as much as the tiny human being encased in her ever expanding belly.

And now, after 9 months, he wanted to come out…

Leaving behind the wheelchair she was parked in, the redheaded detective slowly struggled to her feet and began walking toward the elevator.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Harper scowled and turned to face her sister-in-law. Mary Ann McGarrett, with her hands on her hips and a stern look of disapproval on her face, was a force to be reckoned with. Since both Harper's and Steve's mothers were deceased, Mary had taken on the mother hen role for the duration of this pregnancy. And she had taken it on with a vengeance.

"I'm going home," Harper informed her, pushing the call button for the elevator.

"And how do you plan on getting there?" Mary challenged, removing the car keys from her pocket and waving them in Harper's face. "Besides, you can't even fit behind the steering wheel."

"I'll call a cab."

"No cabbie in his right mind is going to take a woman in labor _**away**_ from the hospital," the blond reasoned, pulling the wheelchair up behind Harper.

"I am not having this baby today."

"You keep thinking that," Mary replied as she put her hands on both of Harper's shoulders, pressed down, and plopped her sister into the chair. "Dad is filling out the paperwork so all you have to worry about is preparing for the miracle of birth."

"There are no miracles happening here today…"

Mary ignored the protests and pushed her patient back to the nurse's station so that they could continue the process of checking her in. Her sister-in-law was stubborn enough to prevent a lot of things, but there was no way she was going to go up against the laws of nature and come out a winner. The newest McGarrett was coming today…whether his mother liked it or not.

But the moment she saw the look on her father's face, Mary quickly swiveled the chair around to face Harper in the opposite direction. Something was wrong. No, not just wrong…_**very**_ wrong. It was written all over Jack McGarrett's rugged face.

After leaving a protesting Harper in the hands of a very capable nurse, Mary returned to her father's side. Shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, he answered her questioning gaze by saying, "Steve's been shot."

"Today?" There were a million questions rolling around in Mary's head, but that seemed to be the only one she could ask out loud. Wrapping her arms around herself, she whispered, "This had to happen today of all days…?"

"There's not a good day for your brother to get shot, Mare," Jack reprimanded quietly.

Realizing how awful that must have sounded to him, Mary reached up and hugged her dad. But as she pulled back, her eyes were wide and she exclaimed, "We can't tell Harper. She's already nervous about having this baby. Knowing that Steve has been shot is going to put undue stress on her and…

"What are we supposed to say to her?"

"That he's on a case and can't get here…"

"Steve would not miss the birth of his own child because of a case," Jack interrupted with a shake of his head, "He's not that guy anymore. And Harper won't buy it for a second."

"How bad is he?" Mary asked, knowing her father was right.

"I don't know," the elder McGarrett replied, running his hands through his hair in frustration, "Danny is riding in with him on the ambulance and Chin was following close behind. He wouldn't say anything definite…which is not a good sign. If it were just a flesh wound, Chin would have told me."

"Okay," Mary began, "so one of us needs to go down to the ER and handle things there and one of us needs to tell Harper." Glancing up at her father, she quipped, "Flip you for it?"

"It's the lesser of two evils," Jack agreed before saying, "I'll go down to the ER…I can flash my badge and hopefully get some more answers. You go stay with Harper." He kissed his daughter's head and then added quietly, "You know what to do, right? In case you need to go into the delivery room with her…"

"It won't come to that," Mary insisted stubbornly, "He'll be here. I know he will."

Jack nodded in agreement and headed off to the elevators while Mary went to the desk to find out which room her sister-in-law had been taken to. She tried to relax her face and wipe the worry from her eyes, but it was no use. The moment she walked into the cheery yellow room, Harper knew something was wrong.

"What happened?"

Mary closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Why did she have to come from a family of cops? Hoping to delay the inevitable, she began to wander around the room and mumbled, "This is nice. I like all the soothing colors and…"

"Mary, where is my husband?"

The alarm in Harper's voice made Mary very relieved that she was not hooked up to a blood pressure cuff. Mary Ann didn't know too much about being pregnant but she knew that high blood pressure was bad. Not as bad as being shot, but close enough. Going over and standing next to Harper's bed, the youngest McGarrett took the detective's hand and prepared for the inevitable.

"Harper, I need you to stay calm…"

"You do realize saying that to people really has the opposite effect, right?" The redhead interrupted with a smirk, but Mary could see the panic in her eyes. Harper James McGarrett was the coolest, calmest, and most collected cop to ever wear the badge, but she also wore her heart on her sleeve. Add in a mixture of fear and pregnancy hormones and Mary had no idea what to expect when she asked the inevitable question, "Is Steve on his way?"

"Yes," Mary admitted quickly, figuring it couldn't hurt to start with a version of the truth, "but he has to make a stop in the ER first."

"What happened?" Squeezing her hand, Harper warned, "Don't screw around with me, Mary Ann McGarrett. I read people for a living and I can tell that something is wrong."

Letting out the breath she was holding, Mary whispered, "He's been shot. We don't know the extent of it but dad went down to…"

Before Mary knew what was happening, Harper was pushing back her blankets and swinging her legs over the side. As she struggled to get out of the hospital bed, she ordered, "Get my bag. I am definitely not having this baby today…"

Normally Mary Ann (_and everyone else_) wouldn't think of arguing with Harper when she got that tone in her voice. But these weren't normal circumstances. Trying to calm her down, Mary whispered, "Harper, they're not going to let you leave…"

"Then go get my gun," she snapped back, standing up and waddling over to the closet, "I will bust my way out of here…"

"Get your ass back in that bed!"

Both McGarrett women looked up to see Dr. Malia Kelly standing in the doorway of Harper's hospital room. Without another word, Malia marched forward and took charge of the situation. She managed to maneuver Harper back to the bed and get her to sit down on the edge.

"Chin knew that you would try something like this, so he called me," Malia stated, answering the question that no one had asked. Then she turned her attention to the mommy-to-be as she quietly reminded, "This crazy behavior is not good for the baby."

But Harper was too upset and angry to listen to medical reason. Struggling to get back up from the bed, the redhead informed them, "There's not going to be any baby born today. You hear me? I'm holding him in!" As the shock registered on Malia and Mary's faces, Harper continued, "I'll have him tomorrow. Tomorrow will be better. Steve will be here tomorrow. Just not now. Not like this."

A contraction hit at precisely that moment and Harper bent over in pain. Grasping at Malia's hand, she laid back on the bed and screamed, "No! Just, no!"

"Shhh, Jimmy," Mary cooed, rubbing her sister-in-law's hand and using her husband's pet name for her to try and calm her fears. The tears formed in her eyes at Harper's apparent agony and whispered, "You're doing so good. We are going to get through this…"

"I don't want to get through this!" Harper bit back. She did stay in the bed, but she didn't calm down as she kept repeating, "I'm going home. I'm going home right now." The tears started rolling down her cheeks as she cried, "We are not having a baby today. I can't do this without my husband. I won't do this without him!"

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXO**

_In the ambulance, en route to the hospital…_

Steve was in a black void. Not flying, not falling, not floating; just a form of consciousness. He tried to shift his legs but they weren't there. Every once in a while there'd be a movement or a brief flash of blinding light that would disorient him. And, faintly in the distance, he thought he heard music. It was hard to make out but it sounded like Metallica's `Nothing Else Matters'.

And, of course, Danny's voice.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Danny yelled at the paramedic driving the ambulance. "His wife is having a baby!"

The second paramedic in the vehicle looked at the detective strangely but didn't mention that the bullet hole in his partner's side was the biggest priority for them at that moment.

Danny was suddenly jolted from side to side as the ambulance raced through the streets of Honolulu, a blur of angry sirens and flashing lights. Looking up at his partner, Steve forced out the words, "Tell Jimmy…"

"Nope," Danny responded, gazing out the back window to try and gauge their location, "You tell her yourself."

The ambulance swerved and Danny gripped the side of Steve's gurney for support. Steve's body, strapped down tightly, didn't even register the motion. His face was pale and the dried blood on his fingers was beginning to flake off. But he was insistent on making Danny listen to what he had to say. Forcefully, he whispered, "Vincent. Name…him…Vincent."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXO**

_Delivery Room at the Honolulu Medical Center…_

"I need you to push."

Harper shook her head stubbornly and replied, "Leave me alone."

Mary Ann exchanged a worried look with the nurse hovering nearby but the doctor didn't seem fazed by his patient's outburst. He continued to go about his business of bringing a baby into this world as if it were just an ordinary situation. But Mary was not so calm. This was her nephew's birth…her brother's son. And she knew of only one way to get Harper to take things seriously…

"Harper Elizabeth James McGarrett," Mary snapped in a sharp tone. Everyone in the delivery room paused to look at her…including Harper. Now that she had her sister-in-law's attention, she continued, "I am surprised at you. I never thought this is how you would let this happen. You are being so selfish right now…"

The nurse standing nearest to Harper's bed gently touched Mary on the arm as she interrupted quietly, "Miss McGarrett, I don't think that this is the time or place for—"

But Mary ignored her and kept right on scolding Harper.

"I truly expected more from you. You and Steve conceived this baby knowing that you both work in high pressure, life or death jobs. But you decided that your love for each other is strong enough to overcome any obstacles…and it is." Mary grabbed Harper's hand and added, "But here you are at the first sign of trouble and you are ready to bale. Seriously? Harper freakin' James? Running from a fight? No way. No way!"

The tears that began forming in Harper's eyes mirrored the ones in Mary's as she continued, "You don't hide from a fight, you don't give up, you strive for greatness. You, sis... you are a doer. And ... I know your husband's not here and his life might be in danger, and I know there are a lot of things going on here that we have no control over. But this..." Mary gestured to the doctor and her pregnant belly, "…this we can do. Okay? Steve needs you to be strong now…for him, for you, and for your son. You can do it. I know you can. So let's do it, okay?"

Harper lifted her chin so that she could look directly at her sister-in-law and she nodded. Smiling through her tears, Mary looked at the doctor and informed him, "She's ready now."

The older gentleman smiled back and said, "Okay, let's have a baby."

"Wait!"

Before anyone knew what was happening the doors to the room banged open and Dr. Malia Kelly backed her way into the delivery room.

"Dr. Kelly, you can't be in here," one of the nurse's started to say and then quickly closed her mouth when Malia turned around to reveal she was not alone. A wheelchair bound Steve McGarrett smiled weakly at his wife.

"Steve!"

He looked pale and tired and a little worse for wear…but he was alive. And he was there. Mary quickly moved out of the way so that Malia could wheel him over to the bed. He immediately grabbed his wife's hand, kissed it, and asked, "You weren't going to start without me, were you?"

Harper's eyes sparkled through her unshed tears as she shook her head and smiled. Clasping her husband's hand close to her heart, she looked down at the doctor and informed him, "_**Now**_ we're ready."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXOXO**

_A few hours later…_

Steve McGarrett sat on the edge of his wife's hospital bed and gazed down at his newborn son. Vincent John McGarrett looked up at his father through eyes that were newborn blue-gray and filled with complete love and trust. It was as if he knew Steve's entire universe centered on him. His fingers grasped his daddy's with a strength that surprised the former SEAL…he hadn't thought a newborn would be so strong. But then again, he didn't know too much about babies to begin with.

Steve stroked his son's soft dark hair and felt an upswell of tenderness, love, devotion, and fierce protection for this newborn child. When Vincent was first placed in his arms, something deep and instinctive in Steve had cried out. The baby's presence in his arms felt right, as natural as breathing. Gone was all of his anxiety about how to deal with this new totally dependent presence in their lives. His arms tightened protectively around their son as he wondered how could someone so small and new hold his heart in so tight a grip? He listened to Vincent's peaceful easy breathing and relished the feel of the baby in his arms. He brought a balance and completeness to their lives, his and Harper's, a missing piece both had yearned for.

Harper stirred gently and opened her eyes to see the most beautiful sight. The craziness of the day was over. Her two miracles were safe and sound and that was all that mattered. When Steve looked up to find her staring at them, she smiled and whispered, "He's definitely your son."

"Our son," Steve corrected with a smile.

Sitting up gingerly in the bed, she asked, "How is your side?"

"Fine," he lied, trying to hide his discomfort from her, "This is the best medicine in the world."

Steve moved closer to her in the bed, and she leaned against him, their son sleeping against him. He was fighting to stay awake himself, his eyes drifting shut, then opening as he forced himself back to alertness. Harper took Vincent from his arms and teased, "Sleep, Superman."

The Commander leaned closer against her, pillowing his head on her shoulder. The sleeping baby was a warm solid presence in his mother's arms and he settled on her chest with a contented sigh and snuggled into the curve of his neck.

"Hey, he took my spot," Steve teased back and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of wonder. Despite the awful beginning to the day, he did feel like Superman. And now he had a new kryptonite.

* * *

**Author's Note**: For anyone who didn't remember, Vincent was Harper's police officer brother who was killed in the line of duty. He was mentioned in The Ex Factor.


	3. Chapter 3

_A random Saturday night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village…_

"The ring was in the cupcake?"

Harper McGarrett took another sip of her champagne before she grinned at her friend Danny Williams and his new fiancé, Dr. Gabby Asano. Setting down her glass, the redheaded detective inspected the rock on Gabby's left hand and gave her co-worker an approving thumbs up.

"She loves cupcakes," Danny explained happily as he put his arm around Gabby.

"I do love cupcakes," the brown haired beauty agreed, leaning up to accept a soft kiss from her intended. "Almost as much as I love you."

Harper's husband, Steve, stifled a groan and rolled his eyes as their friend Kono Kalakaua cooed, "That is so sweet."

Steve, picking up on the irony of the statement, smiled mischievously at his partner and teased, "Literally."

Bristling slightly, Danny shot back competitively, "Well at least our engagement didn't involve a SWAT team…"

Now it was Harper's turn to roll her eyes, at her husband, as she groaned, "Don't remind me."

"Oh, come on!" Detective Chin Ho Kelly chimed in, sitting up in his chair, "Your engagement story is legendary!"

"Legendary?" Gabby repeated, looking first at Danny and then over to Steve and Harper.

"It is not legendary," Harper corrected and then added with a scowl, "And it is not sweet."

"It is kind of awesome," Chin's wife, Dr. Malia Kelly, agreed and grinned at her friend as she went on, "And it's certainly one of a kind."

"You don't like our engagement story?" Steve asked, putting his arm around his wife and pretending to look hurt. Pulling her in closer for a kiss on the cheek, the leader of Five-O grinned and said, "I love our engagement story."

"Of course you do," Harper agreed with a smirk, "because just like all of your other stories, you can hoist a cold one while telling it to your SEAL buddies…"

"Because it doesn't involve cupcakes…" Steve interrupted with a grin and a pointed look at his partner. Danny, not missing the significance of the statement, responded by throwing a strawberry across the table at him.

Ignoring their childish behavior, Harper explained, "I just wish we could tell it to our children without traumatizing them."

Gabby, her eyes wide with surprise, almost choked on her champagne as she asked, "Your engagement story traumatizes children?"

Steve quickly shook his head in disagreement and told his wife, "It's not that bad. When they get older, we can tell them..."

"Oh, I want to hear this," Gabby interrupted with a grin.

"No," Harper told them firmly, "this is your night. Yours and Danny's."

"Yes it is," the scientist agreed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, "And because it is our night, I want to hear the story."

Steve snickered and Harper shook her head in defeat as Danny began, "It all started because they were fighting…"

"Shocking, right?" Malia teased with a wink.

"Who's telling this story?" Danny asked and threw a strawberry in her direction before he continued, "Steve was in the doghouse, again…"

_**Flashback to four years earlier. Harper James' apartment in Hawaii…**_

"Jimmy, it's me."

After knocking for what seemed to be ages, Steve sighed in defeat and laid the take out bag on the floor in the hallway. He sat down beside it and rested his head against her door as he called, "Come on, I know you're mad. Just open up, the food's getting cold."

There was no answer.

"Look, this is one of your classic moves so I know you're in there and I'm not leaving until you open up." Silence. Steve sighed and finally admitted, "I didn't mean to tick you off, I just lost my temper. You're right, okay? You're right. I talked to the Governor and he's allowing you to continue to have full access on the Da Hui case. I just thought… I just thought it would be too dangerous after that hit they had out on you before. I just wanted you to be safe, I mean can you really blame me?"

Steve rubbed a hand over his face and smacked the other one against her door as he repeated, "Just open up the door, Jimmy."

She didn't. And just as he was getting ready to leave his ex-wife to her sulking, Steve heard the familiar "ding" of the elevator and looked up to see his sister, Mary, stepping out. She looked startled at first to see someone hunched in her best friend's doorway, but when she recognized the figure as Steve her face immediately broke out into a huge grin.

"What are you doing here, big brother?" she asked incredulously, eyeing the take out bag sitting beside him.

"Jimmy won't open her door." He replied, stating the obvious. When she eyed him, he added with a sigh, "We got into a bit of an argument today, and someone's being a tad too stubborn."

Mary laughed at her brother's appearance and removed a large cluster of shiny keys from her purse. Steve's eyes widened as he squawked, "She gave you a key?"

"I stayed here for a few weeks when I was in between jobs," Mary reminded him and then teased, "She's a better cook than you are." Opening the door, she looked back over her shoulder and warned with a wink, "You wait here. I'll go in, assess the situation, and do damage control."

Steve nodded and leaned against the far wall as Mary stepped into Harper's apartment. She couldn't keep herself from grinning when she heard him muttering about Harper not giving him a key and then something about damage control.

"Harper?" She called out, dropping her purse unceremoniously on her friend's large couch. "Steve's outside getting ready to grovel. You know you're the only woman in the known universe who can get him to grovel so maybe you should stop torturing the poor man? And I'm not just saying that because he's my brother and I really want you to be my sister-in-law again." Mary walked towards the kitchen, figuring she'd find her friend taking out her stress on a poor, defenseless onion or chicken breast. However, the redheaded detective was nowhere in sight as she called, "Harper?"

When there was no answer, Mary called out again, searched the bedrooms and then walked back to the door to face her brother.

"She's not being stubborn. She's not home." Mary reported absently to Steve, pulling out her cell phone to re-check her messages. "It just doesn't make sense because she left me a message telling me to meet her here."

"And you're sure she's not inside?" he asked, peering past his sister to look inside the apartment.

"It's empty," Mary reported, walking over to the window. "Look, her car's still here. Maybe she went down to the beach. Or out for a drink with Kono. What did you fight about?"

Steve sighed and absently replied, "Work stuff."

"So you didn't ask her?"

He scowled at his sister's accusatory tone and shot back, "Stay out of it. I'll ask her when I'm ready."

"Something schmaltzy like on the beach at sunset?"

"No," he bit back as his phone began to vibrate at his hip.

"Well, you better figure something out," Mary warned, "before she gets fed up with all your nonsense and you lose her again to Chicago PD. Or someone else."

"I'm not going to lose her," he growled before answering his phone.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXO**

_A warehouse in Hawaii…_

Detective Harper James had no idea where she was. Her eyes felt as if they were glued together; held together with an adhesive of torment. She could feel her eyelashes tickle against her skin, but it was so dark in the room that she couldn't be sure if they were truly open or not.

_Inhale. Exhale._

Momentarily forgetting the darkness of the room, Harper rolled her eyes back as a wave of pain coursed through her head. She gasped at the shock of it, and tried to suck more oxygen into her clambering lungs. It was then that she felt the device – a large metal prison that extended from her shoulders to her waist and clenched against her body in a twisted sort of hug. Ignoring the pain in her head, she squinted down at the piercing red numbers. It was a clock. It was counting down.

Harper James was attached to a bomb.

She watched in horror as the numbers continued to flutter by – the bright digits staining imprints on her eyes. The device was so tight against her that it was difficult to get her breath and she was also afraid that movement might trigger the detonator. Slowly regaining her usual level of coherence, she searched her memory for any clue of how she ended up like this. The last thing she remembered was opening the door to her apartment, then there was nothing. It was as if this were a dream, a horribly real dream. And a vaguely familiar one.

The past week the team had been working on a case dealing with the Da Hui– a well known local surf gang. Four tourists had been murdered, execution style. Steve had been so angry with Harper when he discovered that she and Kono had gone to speak to the head of the Da Hui without him. Furious, actually. Harper knew she was playing with fire, but the information she had gained from the meeting was invaluable and could put the gang members away for years – maybe even solve their case.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when the numbers on the panel flashed, marking the beginning of a new hour.

2:00:00:00 the clock read.

2 hours.

Harper James had 2 hours left to live.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXO**

A string of police cars and black SUVs raced along the nearly vacant midnight roads of Honolulu – like black ants scurrying back to their fortress. Steve and his partner, Danny Williams, led the pack in Danny's silver camaro. Steve's hands clutched the steering wheel tightly and not once did he tear his eyes away from the road.

"Calm down."

But Danny knew that whatever he said from then on would be in vain. Steve wasn't listening. He probably didn't even remember his partner was in the damn car.

"We have to assume this is a trap."

Okay, so at least the Commander remembered that Danny was in the car. That was a good step. So Danny reiterated the plan by saying, "Two tactical teams are en route to the warehouse and are awaiting our arrival to enter. And a medical team is also en route in case she…"

Danny abruptly let his voice trail off, glancing at his partner and assessing his anxious demeanor. Steve had to know that the tactical teams were not going to let them join in on this mission. Not only was Harper a member of Five-O, she was Steve's ex-wife. And it was no secret in the close knit law enforcement community that the "ex" part was just a technicality.

The teams located the warehouse in a nearly deserted area about fifteen minutes outside of the city. A single streetlamp cast a sickly yellow glow against the dilapidated building. All four cars screeched to a halt and the officers jumped out. Clad in Kevlar vests the Primary tactical team gathered behind one of the vans. Steve, Danny, Chin, and Kono joined them there.

"Commander McGarrett, we can't let your team…"

"Save it." Steve barked, cutting off the squad's leader before he could say anything else. "Detective James is one of ours. There is no way we are not part of this."

The two leaders of the tactical teams exchanged looks but remained silent as Steve took over and said, "Five-O will enter the building from the door on the right side. Team One goes around back to cover all the exits. Everyone else follow my lead. Go!"

His gun leading him, McGarrett took a glance over his shoulder and signaled his team to get ready to enter. His mind cleared of anything but the task at hand, the Commander kicked the door in with a resounding, splintering kick.

"Five-O!" he bellowed as his team and the agents swarmed out from around him. The room was completely dark and Kono shone a flashlight around the room.

"Steve!" a woman's voice called out pleadingly and Steve's heart rate quickened exponentially.

"Jimmy" he called out, his voice breaking slightly on the last syllable. "Jimmy, you're safe now, we've just gotta get the lights."

He was so glad to hear her voice that he didn't realize something was off about the tone of her voice. But suddenly he heard a dry sob as she warned, "Steve, you have to go. All of you. Get out."

"Jimmy, I'm not going anywhere. The building's surrounded so if the Da Hui are stupid enough to have stuck around they are already in custody. Everything is going to be fine –"

All of a sudden the lights flickered on in the warehouse and Steve's heart surged at the sight before him. Harper was sitting in a chair, staring at him with bloodshot eyes. Her face was deathly pale and around her torso there was a black device whose tell-tale red numbers ticked by – imprinting a memory in Steve's mind that he was sure he would never forget. Her mouth was drawn in a straight line and her piercing eyes spoke volumes to him.

"Get out," she whispered again.

Steve's arm dropped to his side and he stood frozen in that moment, barely conscious of the frenzy that erupted around him. Police officers were yelling and retreating to maintain a safe distance from the lethal woman.

"Bomb squad!" Danny yelled, "This is Code 1 – requesting bomb squad team to 194 Wharf Street, Warehouse #2D. Explosive device…"

"Jimmy," Steve whispered through shuddered breath. He took a step toward her, causing her to wince. He tried to hide the fear in his voice as he added, "I'm not going anywhere, I won't leave you." He holstered his gun and took another step closer. "The bomb squad is on its way, I promise you'll be fine."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a victim," she said with a shake of her head, her voice never wavering. "I know how this ends…"

The screeching sounds of tires and more sirens could be heard coming towards the warehouse, marking the arrival of the bomb squad. Harper closed her eyes again – wanting this nightmare to end. Her eyelids fluttered open when she felt a warm hand grasping her own. Steve was kneeling right in front of her – much to the shock of the team observing from afar.

"Look at me," he commanded gently, searching deeply in her eyes. "I'm here. I'm right here."

She paused for a moment before answering, "You always are."

The bomb squad burst into the room and pandemonium took over once again. Despite their protests, Danny, Kono, and Chin were ushered outside of the warehouse and then they turned their attention to Steve.

"Commander, you need to move away." The unsuspecting bomb squad agent said as he calmly approached Steve and Harper. "Only essential personnel can be here now."

"I am essential personnel," Steve told him, hardly taking his eyes off his Jimmy's face – refusing to drop his gaze down to the bomb around her chest. "I'm her husband."

The bomb technician studied the determined look on the Commander's face and then focused his attention on Harper as he said, "Detective James, my name is Agent Brent Daniels and my team and I are going to stop this bomb, alright?"

"I would really appreciate that," she replied tersely, glancing around at the rest of the hard-faced bomb team. Daniels slowly circled around her chair as Harper took stock of the situation. She recognized some of the team from different law enforcement functions, but no one was looking her in the eye at this moment. Harper understood…it was easier if they didn't focus on the fact that she was one of their own. As Agent Daniels reached for the device to touch the timeplate, Harper exhaled and turned her head away. Steve's grip on her hand tightened fiercely – trying to comfort her the best he could. McGarrett himself was terrified, with just under one hour left on the clock he prayed that the bomb would be easily diffusible.

After thoroughly examining the device, Daniels' expression was unreadable. Without looking down at Harper, he said evenly, "Commander, may I please speak with you for a moment?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," Harper hissed, glaring up at the two men. "I am not a victim. I am a cop…who happens to be strapped to a bomb. I can take it. So say it."

Steve gave Agent Daniels a look that told him he wasn't going to win this argument, so he let out a long breath and said, "I'm afraid the situation is more dangerous than we originally assessed."

This was exactly what Steve hadn't wanted to hear. His worst fear was coming true and although he hesitated before asking the obvious question, he still beat Jimmy to the punch as he asked, "What do you mean? How is it more dangerous?"

"The explosive attached to Detective James is connected to a remote detonator. This means that in addition to the countdown clock, and assuming that her assailant has a remote in his possession, the bomb could go off at any time."

"So get it off me!"

Daniels ignored Harper's outburst and studied the Commander's expression carefully - he needed to know that if Steve was willing to risk his life in that room…and that he could remain calm. Taking a moment for the reality of the situation set in, he continued, "And there is more. Removing the bomb from Harper's body may trigger a hidden detonator – sometimes these are touch sensitive, or they may respond to light. We won't know for sure until we remove the faceplate, but I would hypothesize that the removal of the bomb will have to occur in the dark to avoid excess photosensitivity."

"But you can get it off?"

Harper's question hung in the air as the men were silent for a moment. Daniels finally broke their silence as he stated quietly, "The odds are not good, and this is extremely dangerous." To Steve, he added, "And though Detective James would be comforted by your presence, Commander, you need to think about your safety."

At this, Steve clenched his fists and simply stated, "I'm not leaving."

"Steve," Harper whispered as Agent Daniels accepted the answer and returned to his team to get ready, "You have to go."

"No," he repeated, "If it were me in that chair, you wouldn't hesitate to stay. I'm not hesitating."

"You give me too much credit," she teased, but Steve could see the tears forming in her eyes, "I'd leave your ass in a heartbeat." Looking up at him, she repeated, "There's only room for one hero in this situation and I'm calling dibs. You need to go. The team needs you…"

"Yeah, well, I need you," Steve interrupted, "So I'm not going anywhere."

He lifted his hand and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. He left his hand there, slowly rubbing the pad of his thumb over her pale cheek. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting her mind ponder all of the things she wanted to say in this very moment. So many missed opportunities that they had created – so many words and feelings they should have shared. With only an hour left on the clock, she tilted her head and gently brushed her lips against his open palm.

"I don't have any regrets about staying in Hawaii," she told him quietly, blinking back the tears. "I know people thought I was crazy to stay because of our history, but I'm glad that I did. All in all, I think we've had a great run."

"Good," he replied, but she could hear the catch in his voice. "But don't think you are going to guilt me into leaving. Jimmy, this is my call. The thought of losing you…"

His voice trailed off and he couldn't finish the thought. She was so close to Steve that their warm breath mingled in the dank air of the warehouse. The only thing separating their bodies was the large explosive device, whose numbers continued to flutter by unmercifully. Harper closed her eyes as Steve brushed a kiss against her forehead, lingering there and imprinting this moment in his memory forever. He refused to believe that this moment would be their last – that some cruel twist of fate would give them a second chance only to be separated in death.

"I need you to listen to me," she interrupted, "Okay?" Steve heard the plea in her voice and nodded as she continued, "I need you to leave so that you can go to Chicago for me. I need you to tell my dad about us. Really tell him and make him listen…"

He knew what she was asking and he wasn't going to let her finish, "Jimmy…"

"Please," she went on as if he hadn't interrupted, "I need you to tell him and my brothers that I was happy…in the end. Okay? He didn't get any closure when Vinnie died and he is going to need to know…"

"We'll both go to Chicago," Steve interrupted, wiping away the tears that were falling down her cheeks while fighting back his own. "Both of us will go talk to your family. Together. I mean, with us getting remarried, we're going to have to talk to them about us sooner or later."

Harper froze as she repeated, "Remarried?"

"Yeah," he said with a shrug, as if this were the most normal conversation in the world, "That's where this has always been headed, right? Me and you. We screwed it up last time, but we're different people now. We know that not everyone gets a second chance and we're not going to waste it, right?"

"Steven…"

But he wasn't going to stop now. It was out there. It wasn't how he had planned it and it wasn't ideal, but it was happening. And he wasn't going to let her screw it up, so Steve continued, "I love you. Not maybe, not tomorrow, not someday, right now - at this very moment. I've realized something recently...I need you. I trust you, I admire you, I want you. And you can be wrong a lot of the time, and we can fight and get mad at each other, but nothing, nothing in this world can change the fact that I love you and I want you to be my wife. Again."

He wasn't expecting to hear her laugh, but was a welcome sound. He looked into that beautiful face, laughing through the tears, and she asked incredulously, "Are you proposing to me here at a bomb scene?"

"Yes."

Harper had never loved him more than she did at that moment. With happiness shining in her eyes and a bomb strapped to her chest, Harper whispered, "I love you, Steven John McGarrett. Always."

Steve felt Harper's lips brush up against his hand. Her eyes were closed and a single tear ran down her cheek. He wondered how they had gotten to this place; how they had reached a point where they could finally be honest with one another. He closed his eyes, ignoring the approaching footsteps of Agent Daniels behind him.

"I hate to interrupt, but we cannot afford to waste any time." Daniels said, motioning for his men to approach with large bundles of equipment. Harper nodded her head and watched the team set up their tools. Agent Daniels took his place in front of Harper and Steve shifted his position further over to her right side, allowing the bomb squad more access to the task at hand. Agent Daniels was extremely close and had a look of sheer focus on his face. He was determined not to fail – none of them could afford failure at this point. He'd been on the squad for ten years, and he had never lost his cool. The agent outstretched his hand, and one of the other squad members handed him an object that looked much like a screw driver. He gently loosened the screws on the face plate of the bomb, and was careful not to remove them so that no light would come in. The bomb was most likely photosensitive, and any light could trigger the explosion.

Harper and Steve had to physically remind themselves to breathe, their gaze intently focused on Daniels' hand, and Steve's hand wrapped tightly around his wife's. Daniels stepped back one pace and returned the screwdriver to the same agent. He picked up a pair of delicate looking wire cutters.

"What happens now?" Harper asked, her voice lower than a whisper. She was afraid that if she even moved an inch the bomb might detonate.

Daniels' voice remained calm and even, allowing no hint to the adrenaline that was rapidly flowing through every pore in his body. "Detective, you must remain perfectly still. Do not panic. When you are ready, one of the agents is going to turn off all of the lights and I'm going to remove the face plate. I will follow the wire furthest to the edge with my finger, and I will cut it. That will stop this bomb."

"How will you know which one…"

"I don't make mistakes." He assured her simply. "Now, Detective James, are you ready?"

Daniels knelt in front of her with the wire cutters in his right hand, and his left hand was hovering above the face plate, waiting for the lights to go out on her signal.

""I'm ready." she whispered quickly, waiting for the darkness to fall. She squeezed her husband's hand and held her breath. The warehouse flashed to pure black; the old generator ceased buzzing with a strange sound. There was darkness. There was silence. Harper could hear Daniels' hands moving quickly, and his breath coming in and out evenly, not missing a beat. The face plate was off in a matter of seconds, and it could be heard being gently laid on the floor.

His fingers caressed the outer side of the bomb, gently finding the wire that would bring an end to this nightmare. His gloved fingers followed it downward towards the base of the apparatus. He took out the wire cutters and snuggled the wire between the embrace of the two blades. He inhaled, he exhaled.

Click.

There was silence.

Harper and Steve heard the molded plastic of the wire snip and clenched their eyes shut. There was nothing; nothing but her pounding heart beating against the clenching embrace of the bomb.

Harper's eyes fluttered open as she slowly realized that she was still alive. Gradually coming out of her shocked state, she could hear Steve's quiet and uneven breathing. His hand squeezed hers warmly, and she squeezed back – the slick sweat that lined their palms was the only reminder left of that horrifying moment.

Daniels extracted the wire cutters slowly and placed them carefully into the outstretched hand of another agent. Though the wire had been cut, the bomb was still unstable since only the timer had been turned off. Still in the shroud of darkness, the rest of the team carefully approached Harper and began working on the restraints that were keeping the bomb around her body. The team made quick work, and the only thing left to do was extract the explosive and bring it outside the building to an awaiting containment area.

Steve finally let go of Harper's hand as the team gently pulled the restraints down over her arms. She remained perfectly still, and breathed at a shallow, even pace. The moment the weight of the bomb had left her chest, she closed her eyes in thankfulness. Daniels, as lead agent, grasped the explosive with his two hands and slowly backed away from Harper, one step at a time. Since the room was still pitch dark, he moved extremely carefully – following his mental map of what he knew the warehouse behind him looked. All of the agents followed behind Daniels, peering fuzzily through the darkness in an attempt to watch his every move.

Steve drew closer to Harper and put his hands on either side of her face. Finding no need for words, he kissed her forehead slowly; his lips making their way to her eyelids, her cheeks, and finally finding solace on her lips. The kiss was so honest and pure – all of the truth that had been exposed by the threat of death poured freely from their lips.

Steve finally broke away and rested his forehead against hers, whispering, "You're safe."

"I know." Harper answered and Steve could hear the smile in her voice. "And so are you."

"Let's get out of here," Steve whispered, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. Her legs were wobbly and she stumbled into his strong arms as she looked up at him in the darkness.

And it was the darkness that gave her courage.

"I mean it, Steve," she whispered, "You're safe. I'm not going to hold you to that proposal."

"What?"

"We thought we were going to die and…"

"You're giving me an out?" he asked, the shock registering on his handsome features. When she nodded, he gently put his fingers under her chin and told her, "I don't want an out. I want you. I want you to marry me…again. I know it wasn't champagne and sunsets on the beach and you were strapped to a bomb, but I meant every word of it…"

"Come on, Harper," came a familiar voice in the darkness, "Say yes and just kiss the man already. We have work to do."

The lights turned back on and Harper and Steve looked up to see Danny, Kono, and Chin approaching with huge smiles on their faces. Danny held out his palm and handed Steve a little black jewelry box. When Harper looked at him in confusion, the New Jersey detective shrugged and assured her, "He didn't propose because he thought you were going to die. He's been working up to it for weeks now. So just say yes and put him out of his misery."

"Put him out of his misery?" Kono repeated, shaking her head, "I guess those are appropriate words for a proposal that occurred during a bomb scare."

But Harper wasn't listening to their teasing. Her eyes were focused on that little black box. Looking up at Steve, she whispered, "I don't want champagne and sunsets. I just want you to say it again, Steven."

"I love you, Jimmy," he whispered back with a smile. Another step brought him closer, he was standing in front of her again and she had twisted fully to face him as she blinked up at him with silent tears falling down her cheeks. He knelt before her and once he was settled comfortably on one knee, he took her hands and grasped them eagerly. " I never stopped loving you, Jimmy girl. I was a fool to leave you before and I was an even bigger fool to have you right here in front of me again for so long and not…"

"Yes!"

Steve's chest dipped as he released the breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding as she laughed…a bright, delicate, melodious laugh of delight that took over his heart. She was alive. And she loved him. And she wanted to marry him again. Although he had known, in his heart, to hear the admission from her lips sounded more sweet than he had ever imagined. He met her eyes and smiled, a beautiful, loving, wonderful smile that shone from within his very soul, and she smiled back, almost laughing through her tears she felt so happy to have said it.

Steve stood up, picked her up in his strong arms and brought his lips down on hers, reverently, tenderly kissing them. Harper sighed at the thrill of his lips brushing feather-soft kisses over her lips, cheeks, neck, and the delicate skin behind her ears. His lips were warm and gentle, and the feel of them was almost too much to bear after her frightening ordeal. The sheer scale of love she had for this man was almost too overwhelming to bear.

Yes! Yes!"

She could say it over and over. Her smile was so wide she felt it would crack her face, deep dimples forming in her cheeks. Forced to blink back his own tears at the clear adoration sparkling in her eyes, Steve swallowed and held her a little tighter.

"Wait!" Steve suddenly cried nervously, releasing her and looking over at Danny. If he didn't know any better, Steve would have sworn that his partner had wiped a tear from his eye. Handing over the box with a smile, Steve took it and held a delicate, glittering object out to her.

Harper gasped as he took her left hand in his, holding the ring (_a single diamond set in gold; simple and beautiful, like her, he thought_) in readiness before her finger. He found her eyes again then, his nerves betrayed only by a slight twitch of his lips against the sure determination of his expression. Both their hands were shaking so much that Steve could barely slide the ring onto her third finger, grasping her hand tightly as it slid over her knuckle then pressing his lips firmly to the back of her hand. The cool metal, beautiful in its simplicity, bound them, sealed them… Given by him, received by her.

Looking at her hand, she asked in surprise, "You got me a new ring?"

"New ring for a new start." Steve answered simply as his eyes roved over her face, drinking in her every feature, every dimple, freckle, shadow, every tiny beautiful imperfection that only increased her worth in his eyes. They had both been through so much, damaged and aged and matured through their experiences. When he thought of them before the divorce, the memory of them felt so naïve and young, innocent, stupid. But they were different now and they both were assured of so many things, unafraid to act and to love, for life was too fleeting for hesitation.

Steve leaned forward and kissed her again as the rest of the team surrounded them with congratulations. The happy couple grinned at each other, unaware that the bomb squad and the tactical teams were re-entering the warehouse, which was technically a crime scene. They knew that their work for the day was far from over…the member of the Da Hui who had taken Harper and strapped her to the bomb was still on the loose and had to be taken down. But none of that mattered for the moment. All that mattered was that everything felt new, fresh, bright, full of optimism and possibilities. They could do anything. They loved each other. And they would for the rest of their lives.


End file.
